March 30, 2008

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. - A day after winning his first NCAA title, University of Miami sophomore diver Reuben Ross earned All-American status for the third time this weekend with a fourth-place finish in the men's 10-meter platform finals Saturday night at the King County Aquatic Center.

Ross, who won the 22^nd men's diving title in school history with a first-place finish in the men's three-meter springboard on Friday, finished with a mark of 445.40 in the platform on Saturday, 32.80 points behind the Ohio State's Sean Moore's winning mark of 478.20.

Freshman J.J. Kinzbach - UM's other men's diver competing this weekend - also earned All-American status with an eighth-place finish in the finals with a score of 366.05.

Both divers had put in a strong showing in the platform preliminary round earlier in the afternoon, with Kinzbach and Ross finishing first and third respectively. Kinzbach, whose strongest dive is the platform, scored a 432.25 in the prelims while Ross finished with a mark of 393.35.

Ross finished with scores of 81.00, 60.45, 76.50, 86.40, 57.75 and 83.30 in the final round but Moore's marks of 81.00, 60.80, 94.05, 60.75, 86.40 and 95.20 were too much for Ross, second-place Chris Colwill of Georgia (460.60) and third-place David Colturi of Purdue (453.65).

Kinzbach's marks in the final round were 63.00, 80.00, 51.15, 45.90, 51.20, 74.80.

Over the last two weeks, Ross, Kinzbach and teammate Brittany Viola have combined to earn All-American status on six occasions (Ross - 3, Viola - 2, Kinzbach - 1) and win two NCAA championships (Ross - three-meter; Viola - platform).

Click for results, quotes and notes from the men's action in Federal Way, click here.